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Thursday, January 21, 2010

Snapshot, MLK Day.

We were on a walk with a neighbor couple and their precocious four year old, enjoying some rare winter sunshine when we came to the corner and stopped at the light. J was snuggled up to my chest in her Ergo, blinking sleepily in the brightness. Andrew caught up to me and we waited together. Our party wasn't alone on the corner. It was MLK day, and many of the events in our city that celebrate the legacy of Dr. King happen in our neighborhood. A thin black woman walked up next to us, lit a cigarette, and did a double-take at the sight of J.

"Is that your baby?" She asked, looking past me to Andrew.

"Yup, this is my baby." I replied, letting myself sound proud.

"Really." She looked again at J, squinting a little. "What's her name?"

I told her. The light turned green and we started crossing the street together. She walked next to me in silence for a couple seconds and then as we reached the other side spoke again.

"Well you have got yourself one beautiful baby!"

"I know, right?" I smiled at her. "Thank you."

"You better take care of that baby!" She tossed it back over her shoulder, heading a different direction from our little crowd. "If you don't, I'm going to whoop ya."

6 comments:

LOVE IT!!! I told you that you have the most beautiful (girl) baby ever (I claim the most beautiful boys)!! Get used to it; people LOVE pretty babies (and loved-on babies draw even more attention). Wait until that precious girl starts talking to people. What a wonderful opportunity to meet people from all over! (Can I use a few more exclamation points?!?!! LOL)

Mmmm, I'm not sure how I would take that if I were you, but being black myself, we're very proprietary. The comment was made out of affection for the child, of course, but as I'm finding out, people always feel free to say whatever pops into their heads when you have a little baby.

What a moment for you and J. She will draw lots of attention. I like what Ohio mom said, 'and loved-on babies draw even more attention.' That's what I'll keep in mind whenever we're given comments that I question.